Hero's Fall
by Master-Magician
Summary: "STEVE!" The scream into Wanda's earpiece was almost enough to make her eardrum burst. It certainly caught her off guard. Both the yell itself and the actual name spoken.
**I was supposed to see Civil War yesterday but when I got to the theater it turned out the one showing for the day was mistyped on their website. I got to the theater an hour after the film started. Talk about annoying.**

 **But anyway hey, I've been wanting to do some fanfiction for this movie anyway. I just have to use my imagination for now.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"STEVE!" The scream into Wanda's earpiece was almost enough to make her eardrum burst. It certainly caught her off guard. Both the yell itself and the actual name spoken.

With Wanda's current predicament, it would have been a fatal mistake under normal circumstances. She and Vision were currently embroiled in an furious battle of the minds. Neither moved a muscle, but you didn't have to see movement to know they were fighting it out just as hard as the rest of the Avengers outside.

It had been agreed upon by Steve before they even went into battle. Vision was beyond dangerous, the Infinity Stone surpassed them all by leaps and bounds. The hope was that Vision wouldn't use the full scope of his abilities against them, because if he did they would be in serious trouble. Wanda was the only one who would have a decent chance of going against the synthetic human.

Up until now they not only fought, but were locked in a stalemate. With Wanda having grown further into her powers since becoming an Avenger, she was able to match Vision. But unfortunately she could not defeat him, but at the same time neither could he defeat her.

The pair had effectively 'knocked each other out of the ring' as Sam would say.

All of Wanda's concentration evaporated when she heard the name over the radio. Not just the name, but who was saying it. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The raw terror and anguish carried in the five letters washed over Wanda like a wave. She could feel what Bucky was feeling.

Steve was hurt, badly. Bucky was rushing to his dearest friends aid.

With her focus gone, Wanda's spell over Vision shattered and the powerful being broke free. It would have been a perfect opportunity for Vision to strike a heavy blow against his fellow Avenger, but he didn't.

If anything, Vision was thrown off just as much as Wanda was. One look at his shocked face was enough to tell his enhanced hearing picked up the sound over Wanda's earpiece. Though the two teams fought, few actually wanted to. Vision not using his full power was proof of that.

Wanda didn't even think, she turned her back to Vision and rushed back out onto the street to seek out her fallen captain. With all the chaos going on, it was hard to tell where he could have been. When the fight started, he and Tony Stark seemed to single the other out.

Wanda wasn't sure which was worse, that she couldn't feel Steve's mind when she reached out to it or that she couldn't actually find him with her eyes. It was easier to zero in on Bucky, his mind was like a beacon in the rubble filled street.

Sprinting for Bucky, Wanda soon caught sight of the black clad soldier. He was running as fast as he could toward a pile of rubble.

Could Steve be trapped beneath it?

Wanda didn't care, she gave chase. Using Bucky was the only way she would be able to find where the injured Steve was. The super soldier had to be fine, he just had to. He must have been knocked out in the tussle. That would surely explain why Wanda couldn't feel his mind.

It took all Wanda had to force out the thought that even if Steve was out cold, she would still feel the edges of his thoughts.

Bucky was still a ways away from the debris when Black Panther sprung from seemingly nowhere.

Wanda was in no mood to tolerate delays. She was still far away from Steve, but Bucky was closer. Wanda wasn't about to let anyone get in Bucky's way.

Summoning one of the strongest bolts she could from this distance, Wanda hurled the glowing missile at the obstruction. Bucky was even more determined to reach Steve than Wanda was, he didn't even flinch when Black Panther attempted to pounce upon him.

Wanda's attack struck Black Panther brutally hard midair. He was thrown away to crash into a nearby demolished building.

Part of Wanda winced when she realized the force behind that missile might have been lethal. But another part just didn't care since Black Panther seemed to have a vendetta against the Winter Soldier. Bucky had been kind to her in the short time they'd known each other, he might have done bad things in the past but so had she. Like Wanda herself, Bucky was trying to atone. Some people could never accept that.

The main reason Wanda wasn't sorry about blasting Black Panther was that he was in the way of their reaching Steve.

By the time Wanda caught up to Bucky, the former assassin had been frantically tearing up chunks of rubble with both his mechanical hand and his flesh one. The faint colors of Steve's uniform already visible through the dust and debris.

Wanda reached out and hurled away the remaining pieces in a flash of red light before her mind even caught up to her actions. If Bucky saw that Wanda was helping, he didn't show it. The man was already at the side of his fallen friend.

One look, and Wanda knew why she could not feel Steve's mind anymore.

Death was something Wanda knew well. First her parents, then her countrymen, then her brother, then more of her countrymen in the mass slaughter that was Ultron's rampage. She had almost no one left to lose, save the other Avengers. Particularly Clint and Steve, two of the first people to ever give her a real chance to do good. One with no strings attached.

Even being so infinitely familiar with the concept of others dying didn't prepare Wanda for the lifeless corpse of Steve Rogers.

The leader of the Avengers, and one of the world's first superheroes, lay there in the rubble with a piece of iron rebar driven straight through his chest. His eyes open but hollow and staring blankly into the sky. All the fire and reassurance Wanda had come to rely upon gone.

Bucky was silent, his human arm resting on Steve's chest while his own eyes were almost just as blank. Wanda didn't dare reach out to feel his thoughts for fear of what exactly she would find.

A nearby heavy thud snapped Wanda's attention away from the two men. Tony Stark, his armor badly damaged but still intact landed nearby but made no move to approach. The billionaire's faceplate lifted up to reveal a face filled with absolute horror and regret.

Wanda knew, she didn't know how, but she just knew Stark was responsible for this. The young avenger's hand was already glowing with barely contained power. She so badly wanted to hurt Tony for what he had indirectly done to her family, but that was something Wanda had gotten over long ago.

Right now, Wanda didn't want to hurt Stark, oh no.

She wanted to kill him.

Only Wanda couldn't bring herself to do it. She would attack him if he dared approach, but she wouldn't go after him. Wanda could almost hear Steve within her thoughts. 'You're better than that Wanda, petty vengeance won't bring me back'.

It was a sentiment not shared by Bucky when Stark took a single step toward them.

The Winter Soldier let out a snarl and rose to his feet, eyes filled with murder. Wanda thought she knew rage, but this was something far beyond that radiating from Bucky.

Just as Bucky moved to attack, Wanda reached out and gripped his arm. There were few souls who dared to physically touch the troubled man known as the Winter Soldier, but Wanda knew he would never hurt her.

Wanda had to force herself not to feel his thoughts when Bucky's gaze turned on her. All of the fury was still there but not directed at her, just a demand for answers why she was stopping him from beating Stark to death with his bare hands.

"It's not what he would want." Wanda choked out, her accent becoming thick from the struggle to hold back tears.

Bucky looked away for a moment before letting loose with a scream and punching his mechanical fist into the nearest piece of concrete, shattering it into powder.

Stark must have known he was not welcome to come any closer, he didn't dare attempt to.

Slowly, the sounds of battle died down around them. Everyone becoming aware one of their own had been slain. They gathered around the trio, but Bucky made it clear no one was allowed to get within twelve feet of Steve's body.

"Cap!" Sam sprinted over as fast as his legs could carry him. His wingsuit horribly broken, but his injuries were superficial at worst.

It was a testament to what Bucky thought of Sam that he not only allowed him to approach, but even moved aside to give him room to see to Steve. Up til now Wanda was the only one he let do so. Not even their allies in the fight like Clint and Scott were given that honor.

Much like Bucky, Wanda could tell Sam wasn't taking Steve's death very well, but wasn't showing it. He went through the motions of checking for a pulse, even when there obviously wasn't one. His head hung low, his hand reaching out to close Steve's eyes.

* * *

The death of Captain America sent a shockwave throughout the United States and beyond. He was a national icon and hero to almost all. Even those who didn't agree with many of his actions in his final days saw him thus.

If anything good came of his demise, it was the Sokovian Accords being ground to a halt. It was unknown if they would even be brought back up again. It was possible they died with Captain America.

It was no comfort to Wanda whatsoever as she watched the body being lowered into the ground. Steve would have hated such a pompous affair for his funeral but the government insisted on it. The man was a war hero as far as they were concerned.

Steve would have just said 'I did what any good man would have done'. Maybe that was true, but there were few good men like Steve Rogers.

The somber event's silence was only broken with the occasional sounds of gunfire. Some kind of salute for military funerals, Wanda wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of it was.

At least the place wasn't too bad for the grave. It was a place called Arlington, quite famous as a military cemetery, at least that was what Wanda thought. Again Wanda wasn't sure, Steve had still been helping her learn landmarks since America was her new home. Some were easier like the White House and the Statue of Liberty, others not so much.

It was this same graveyard that many veterans of World War II were interred. Many of whom Wanda wondered if Steve had known. The Howling Commandos might even be buried here too for all she knew. A more fitting place for Steve to finally find rest Wanda could not figure out.

Speaking of knowing people... the attendance for the funeral was massive but many faces Wanda was able to pick out. Natasha, Sam, Maria Hill, even Tony Stark, but the billionaire had yet to make eye contact with anyone. These were only a fraction of the people Wanda recognized.

In a surprising turn of events, Clint had elected to remain by Wanda's side for the entire ordeal. She would have thought the archer would stick with Natasha but Wanda could still feel some bitterness between the two former agents.

Truth be told, Wanda was grateful for the company. Especially since it helped her keep an eye on the second man who had yet to leave her side.

Bucky.

When he first arrived, it was made apparent he wasn't welcome. Before a fight could break out Wanda had to step in and say he was with her. This deterred some of the naysayers but it caused even more problems. There was even talk of the two of them being thrown out.

They couldn't retreat fast enough when Clint stepped in saying if anyone touched either of them they would have to deal with him. Clint had been escorting the pair ever since. The archer could sympathize with Bucky to a degree. He knew what it was like to not be in control of your own mind. As for Wanda, it was no secret he had unofficially adopted her as his daughter.

Wanda's heart ached when she looked over at Bucky. There was a twisted irony in his situation. Steve had spent so long thinking he was the last of his old comrades still alive only to discover his best friend was still alive. Then just as said friend was putting the pieces of his psyche back together, Steve is killed in action. Making Bucky now the last.

Tapping into Bucky's mind was dangerous, besides, Wanda didn't have to. She knew exactly how he was feeling right now. She was the same after Pietro died saving Clint and that little boy. Steve had saved her from the pit of despair she wanted to lay in and die. He was the reassuring hand that guided and gave her purpose again, gave her friends, gave her a home. Perhaps they could have even been something more, but Wanda would never know.

Reaching a hand out tentatively, Wanda gripped Bucky's flesh one with her own. He tensed for a second, but didn't pull away. After several long heartbeats he reacted by lacing his fingers with her own slender ones.

This was no romantic gesture, merely an offering of support for a broken soul from another that knew such pain but survived.

The kindness Steve had shown Wanda could never be repaid, especially now that he was no longer among the living. But she'd be damned if she didn't do for Bucky what Steve had done for her.

Wanda didn't know what happened after death, but if Steve was watching, she hoped he knew that Bucky would never have to face the world alone. It was the least she could do to repay the hero that was Steve Rogers, not Captain America, but Steve Rogers.

* * *

 **Those who have seen the move please avoid spoilers if at all possible when leaving a review. I hope to see Civil War tomorrow, but we'll see. Depending on how this one goes, I may try to do some more if I get any ideas or suggestions.**

 **And to those who have read my MCU work before, I hope to do follow ups to the Hollow Fragments story next.**


End file.
